R.I.P. Democracy
It’s all over but the dying. And we don’t even have the grace of death. Here is some stuff that will not cheer you up but may keep the fire of resistance at going at least.
Welcome to the autocracy of Hungary. It is not okay. It is not going to be okay. America as a democracy is over. We had a brief reprieve. But it’s done. Things will change in unthinkable ways at unthinkable speeds.
Vote while you still can,
Vote before they take that right from you.
Any opposition to the ruling fascists will be demonized and punished. They want control of the narrative to control people’s lives.
Band together in small communities. Mutual support is the only hope right now. I am going to think on how to do things. We are going to have to keep the light of bodily autonomy and justice under the law for all burning. We will live because the alternative is to lay down and die.
The federal government will seek to oppress us and the courts will seek to harm us. But we have to stick together. Commiserate, create art, gather together online and in person.
The opening of Hysteria from this week also hit hard.
It is the end of anything we thought we knew and it’s not going to get better, maybe not even in this generation. The checks are gone and there is nothing ahead but darkness. For bad news here is a great conversation.
I have nowhere to go and not enough money to do anything. An older friend of mine in her 70s is actually happy she is going to die and I don’t blame her. In the video say they say this isn’t the end, it’s never the end and that is so massively the problem. Because the end doesn’t end. It just keeps going on and on and and most of us will be dragged over broken glass for the rest of our lifetime.
Since Tuesday I have taken to my bed. Now I know why Victorian did it. Because that few square feet becomes the only thing that you can control. I have been literally physically sick, I am not sleeping. I managed to eat on Friday. But it’s a slow road back. There will be relapses. Maybe at some point I’ll be able to leave this country but probably not. I don’t have any hopes left and I can’t envision a future worth having anymore.
I hear you and feel you.
Trump —and it’s not just him, but a lot of the super rich, the super powerful—with the support of half the country— pretty much has carte blanche. Already, stupid school kids are going around chanting “your bodies, our choice,” people are calling in bomb threats to vote-counting centers, hate emails are sent to African-American kids…
Staying in bed is not a bad idea.
Start being careful about what you say.
I have to agree with your 70 year old friend: being old is a silver lining in these times. At least I’ve enjoyed a good life, cancer and all.
And maybe there will be some sort of recovery, but the government could be totally dismantled and unrecognizable even by midterms—if those will still exist!
NGL, it's going to be bad, and a lot of people will suffer. But I don't think it's permanent. Americans have the memory of a goldfish, and are easily distracted by shiny objects. But the bottom line is always their wallets. If prices don't come down almost immediately (and under Trump's proposed policies, they will do the opposite), then all that soft support in the middle -- people who were dubious about Trump, but couldn't bring themselves to vote for a black woman -- will evaporate. The Senate and House will flip in the midterms and, just like his first term, there will be severe limits on what he can do. The Supreme Court will remain an issue, and the Democrats need to seriously consider expanding the number of justices once they have the ability to do so. But, as always, our best defense against Trump is the fact that he's a complete fucking moron who will always overreach and botch whatever crazy-ass scheme he tries to pull off.